Students Deliver Thanksgiving Food and Supplies for Injured Veterans Families

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students from Grace Lutheran School visited the homes of several Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) Alumni members, delivering Thanksgiving baskets filled with holiday food. The students assembled grocery lists, budgeted funds, and shopped to purchase items to assemble the baskets.

Each basket contained non-perishable food fit for a Thanksgiving meal, as well as a gift card to help purchase a turkey and perishable items. The students were given the resources to give back to WWP Alumni through a donation from the Thrivent Action Team®, which provides funds for community service projects.

"We've done the Thanksgiving baskets two years in a row, and the kids and the staff always have a great time," said Adam Klohr, a financial consultant for Thrivent Financial. "Last year, the oldest kid participating was nine months old when 9-11 happened. None of the children who took part this year were born when that tragic day occurred. They've spent their entire lives seeing this country at war, so to see the impact that the war has had on our veterans was an eye-opening experience for them. The students and parents that came along were amazed by what they saw and by the scope of what Wounded Warrior Project does as an organization." 

After the students had dropped off the baskets, they were given a tour of the WWP Headquarters, where they were able to view the Sacrifice Center, which shares the stories of WWP Alumni, told through the warriors' eyes. Several of these stories give insights into the most serious issues facing injured veterans, their families and caregivers today, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

To date, Thrivent Financial has donated nearly $700,000 to WWP through the Thrivent Choice Program that allows eligible members to recommend where charitable outreach funds are directed among enrolled charities. Many of those same members of Thrivent also have sponsored and participated in more than 24 fundraising and service events to support WWP.

"During the holiday season, giving back is such a great expression of gratitude and thanks," said Gary Corless, executive vice president of Strategic Giving at WWP. "These kids from Grace Lutheran School came in with such big hearts and their generous donation of Thanksgiving food will go a long way in brightening the holidays for some of our Alumni and their families."

When a service member is wounded, ill, or injured, these changes place tremendous stress on family members. These individuals are an integral part of a warrior's successful recovery. WWP is dedicated to supporting warriors as well as their caregivers and families. Since 2003, WWP has evolved its programs and services to meet the growing needs of the constituency it serves. Currently, WWP provides support to more than 80,000 injured service members and over 14,000 caregivers and family support members. Through a high-touch and interactive approach, WWP's vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history. WWP just released the results from its 2015 annual WWP Alumni Survey. See the results, and download the report here.

About Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP's purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

About Thrivent Financial
Thrivent Financial is a Fortune 500* financial services organization that helps Christians be wise with money and live generously. As a membership organization, it offers its nearly 2.4 million member-owners a broad range of products, services and guidance from financial representatives nationwide. For more than a century it has helped members make wise money choices that reflect their values while providing them opportunities to demonstrate their generosity where they live, work and worship. The organization has $90.4 billion in assets under management (as of December 2013), and has been named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for four years in a row by The Ethisphere® Institute (2012-2015). For more information, visit www.thrivent.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Insurance products issued or offered by Thrivent Financial, the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. Not all products are available in all states. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, a FINRA and SIPC member and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent. For additional important information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures

*Fortune, June, 2015

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151125/291048

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project

Related Links

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org